


Can't Sleep Love

by kanji_jumanji



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Mutual Pining, No Smut, One Shot, Star Gazing, all fluff, no one can sleep you're all a bunch of night owls, not a complete song fic??, reader is conflicted and somewhat impulsive, secret crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 01:16:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14905716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanji_jumanji/pseuds/kanji_jumanji
Summary: Reader has a sappy crush on Optimus and is indecisive about confronting it while Optimus struggles with his own emotions, but thankfully some midnight star gazing takes off some stress between the two of you.





	Can't Sleep Love

**Author's Note:**

> This also has been sitting in my drive for weeks, and I finally finished it! Gotta love OP amirite?

You couldn't sleep, especially not after the stunt Miko pulled during the base sleepover.

 So there you laid in a cramp sleeping bag, eyes reflecting the colossal ceiling with only your antagonizing thoughts keeping you company. It must’ve been hours since everyone finally went to sleep but your brain decided to have an existential crisis about your pathetic love life.

  _Crush? Me? Hardly. God, what am I, thirteen?_ Your hands curled into the sleeping bag, grasping it tighter between your fingers with each thump of your heart. _This isn't—I'm not—_ **_No_ ** _._

 A sigh escapes you, along with all the tension in your shoulders and hands. _Could I?_

 

_—▪️—_

 

“Come on, (Y/n), lighten up a little will ya?” Miko threw her hands around your shoulders and you laugh lightly.

 “The stars are awake and the night is young!”

 Her voice trembles on your ears, “Annnnnd so is this budding romance I'm seeing with you~”

 You scoff, and push her away playfully, “Budding romance? My love life has been dead for years.”

 Miko’s face says it all. She knows you're lying and maybe you believe the lies yourself.

 Swaying her hands on her hips she points one finger in the air before giving you teasing eyes, “not by the way you've been acting lately. Girl I hate to break to you but you're totally digging someone!”

 You are appalled, face slack with disbelief. For a split second, your heart stops, almost in disbelief too.

 “By the way, I've been—Miko, how in the hell did you end up to that conclusion? What did I do? Make goo-goo eyes at a toaster?”

  _What is she talking about? I am most certainly not into anyone! Honest._ In the back of your mind, a flicker of doubt sparks but you push it aside. Miko pursed her lips into a pout at your denial but her eyes sparkle with mischief, which frankly made you uneasy.

 “Well, no, but you've totally got a crush!” She made some jazz hands and scooted closer to you on the poorly shambled pile of sleeping bags.

 “How so?” Amusement dripped from your voice, after all, you definitely didn't a have a crush so what was the point? Only you did have one, and it was hiding in plain sight.

 As Miko opens her mouth to give a debate you knew would be long, you take hold of your pillow to keep you occupied.

 “For one, you're a lot happier than usual, and even more here at base. Two, I heard you singing to yourself yesterday when you were helping Ratchet organize his medical equipment-y stuff, which by the way never happens! The singing I mean.”

 “Who doesn't sing when they're cleaning? You can't blame me for that!” You practically are shouting, face dusted with pink.

 “Not when you're singing _So This Is Love_ from _Cinderella!_ ”

 “I'll have you know I just finished watching Cinderella beforehand! I was—the song is catchy, okay!?”

 “(Y/n), you are like the most adult person I know, actually you are an adult—Eighteen as of a month ago! So when was the last time you watched a Disney movie?”

 A moment passed by with silence. One face of certain big rig forms in your mind and instantly you are thrown into a spiral.

  _No._

 You are astounded and at a loss for words with an open yet empty mouth. Around you, the world becomes a blurry background as you hone in on this dawning factor.

  _There's no way._

 Inside your ribcage, a single heartbeat silences your consciousness. It grows rapidly as you think upon more. Soon enough your face is as red as the flames on the Prime’s engine.

 Miko seems to notice your change in demeanor and immediately takes action. Her eyes are wide as she shakes you by the shoulders, a gigantic grin playing on her lips.

 “You do have a crush! Tell me, tell me, who is it!?”

 Just as you are about to speak a gradual engine revving steals your reply. In comes, Bumblebee stripes n’ all. You are saved by the ‘bot so to speak.  

 Closing the doors of the yellow Camaro, Raf and Jack pop out with two stacks of pizza half a mile high, “Pizza’s here!”

 Miko glances at you for an answer but you're already down the stairs running towards the pizza and away from the awkward confrontation.

 

_—▪️—_

 

**_Tell me am I going crazy?_ **

**_Uh-huh!_ **

  


After the memory plays a quick intake of air is like a jab to your chest as the revelation settles in your heart.

 

**_Tell me have I have lost my mind?_ **

**_Yeah!_ **

 

You sit up in your sleeping bag, hands tugging your moppy hair. _This can't be happening. There's no plausible explanation that me—a HUMAN—could possibly be in love with, with, Optimus fucking Prime._

 

**_Am I just afraid of lovin’?_ **

**_Uh-huh!_ **

 

Everything in one moment becomes overwhelming and causes the room to swirl in your vision like some sick optical illusion that plays with your eyes. One image becomes clear and it's Optimus’s face from the time he spoke of Cybertron to you. Primus, the way his optics lit up when he described the scenery of his homeworld melted your heart in that very moment, and now you're barely realizing that's probably when you fell for him. Ever since you joined Autobots it's just been one long slow burn to your heart, and boy you were getting sick of it.

 

**_Or am I not the lovin’ kind?_ **

**_Yeah!_ **

 

“Oh my god, I can't take this anymore!” You hiss then rip off the sleeping bag keeping you hostage. Though you are extremely pissed at yourself, and at these newfound feelings, you try not to rampage through the mess of bodies strewn in a nest of pillows and blankets.

 Silent snores come from the teens as you pass them and trudge over to the couch, which you think could be a good example of your emotions—topsy-turvy with a side of chaos.

 Pizza boxes are messily overturned with random red solo cups to accompany them, some you push away to make room for yourself. Once snuggled by couch’s provided comfort, you continue to curl yourself into a ball, feeling your beating heart against your bare legs.

 

**_Kissin' in the moonlight_ **

**_Movies on a late night_ **

**_Gettin' old_ **

**_Uh huh!_ **

 

_It's can't be real, right? I must be confusing admiration for infatuation. It’ll go away eventually…_

 How very wrong because for the next hour the flaming semi-truck consumed all of your thoughts. Starting by how the Autobot ensnared your heart like a fly to a spiders web. Alluring and entrancing yet dangerous in contact, and woe is the fly who gets entangled in it. Deep down in your twisted heart, you knew that these feelings only lead to an un-happily-ever-after, yet you still held onto them anyway.

 

**_I've been there, done that_ **

**_Supposed to be hot_ **

**_But it's just cold_ **

**_Yeah!_ **

 

 _Primus, I am severely fucked, aren't I?_ You slap your hands into your face to shy away from the embarrassment. Meanwhile staying up to two o’clock in the morning is finally paying off because your eyes are sore along with being about as dry as overused playdough. Now you feel like shit inside and out.

 

**_Somebody wake up my heart_ **

**_Light me up_ **

**_Set fire to my soul, yeah_ **

**_Uh huh!_ **

 

It's not long for the couch to bore your restless body so you get up to get your blood moving.

 

 **_'_ ** **_Cause' I can't do it anymore_ **

**_Yeah!_ **

 

Your feet meet the catwalk with soft clunks and you become a mindless zombie for a few seconds. In the darkness, you can barely make out the safety rails of the catwalk, but once you do, you don't hesitate to slump over a rail and hang there lifelessly.

 

**_Gimme that can't sleep love_ **

**_Gimme that can't sleep_ **

 

_I want to sleep but my godforsaken brain won't let me close my eyes for one fucking moment without seeing Optimus’ handsomely forged face. God, I'm not even trying to hide it anymore, am I? Fine! It's true that I, (Y/n) (L/n), have a crush on the one and only Optimus Prime. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo! Are you satisfied, Miko?_

 Frowning bitterly at the world, you rest your head on one arm then swing the other over the rail, and watch as it sways with your hair. A fever spreads along your cheeks after realizing you just confessed your affections for the Autobot.

 “I can't believe I'm in love with a fucking semi-truck.” You mumbled discreetly into your arm as if someone could hear you.

 

**_I want that can't sleep love_ **

**_Gimme that can't sleep_ **

 

Meanwhile, as you laid hunched over the rail like a towel in need a good dry, the echoes of pedes clinking against the floor catch your attention.

  _Shit. Shit. Shit._ For some reason, you stupidly decide it's better to pretend to be asleep rather than face the transformer and explain why you're up so late. So in a failed attempt to act natural, you scramble back to the nest of blankets, diving headfirst into safety, and nearly breaking your neck in the process.

 As the pedesteps grow so does your anxiousness, and so much so that you meekly peek from behind the covers to see who emerged from the hall.  Lo and behold, guess who else was struggling with inner turmoil? None other than the Prime himself.

 _Just my fucking luck._ All color drains from your face as you pull the covers over your eyes. Feeling like a fool only made you curl tighter into a ball with the blankets to twist around your body.

 

_**The kind I dream about all day.** _

 

 _He’s pacing._ You squeeze your eyes as hard as you can. _I can hear him._

 

**_The kind that keeps me up all night._ **

 

Small murmurs come from the bot simultaneously as his pedes grace the ground with soft _clunks_.

  _Why is the pacing? Wait, no, more importantly, what is he doing up this late?_ Your heart begins to think the Autobot is up this late because he’s thinking of you, and honestly you’re not wrong. However, just as quick as this thought comes, another is there to drag it down.

  _He’s the leader of a team in the middle of a war, of course, he paces at night. Optimus probably worries a lot for his team. Fragging—this is the kind of low-ass self-doubt thinking that got me staying up this fucking late in the first place! You know what? Screw this, I’m just going to ask him myself._ With a sour pout, you throw off the blankets in a dramatic fashion,  also happening to catch the eye of the Prime.

 Optimus stopped mid-pace, his optics honing in on your small silhouette standing up from the central platform. Once he recognizes it's you, his frame relaxes and he strides closer to the platform.

 “My apologies, have I woken you?”

 Noted that Optimus kept his voice in a low whisper when he spoke. How considerate, just makes you wanna fall for him even harder.

 “No, no, you didn't. I've, uh, actually been up for quite a while. You just happened to catch me off guard.” Instinctively you hold onto your arms, rubbing them awkwardly.

 “Hmm, do you have trouble recharging?”

“Sleeping? Uh, yeah. My mind has been outta sorts lately," Nervousness is creeping around the corner but you keep it in check. 

 “As am I, which explains my being here. Perhaps it would better you to talk about it? Only if it pleases you, but I have been told to be a great listener.”

 “Oh. Um, it's uuh not really the best topic for a _midnight conversation_ if you know what I mean."

Your tiny shrug and small voice with the response made the Prime's knees weak. 

 “But what about you? What’s keeping you up so late?” 

Your question throws him off. No one really asks how he's doing or what's his day like since he's the one in charge. It's nice to have someone to ask him for a change. His heating fans turn on and he takes a moment to word his answer. He tries not fluster himself while doing so. It's been so long since Optimus dealt with emotions like these. 

“I have been... _struggling,_ one could say, with personal matters.” His optics avoid your gaze and you begin to bite your cheeks.

 You chuckle to yourself, “Not the best topic for a midnight conversation, huh?”

For the first time in a long time, the Prime smiled. It is slight, but he is already so colossal you could see it from a mile away. The way he closed his eyes and his shoulders lifted as he smiled left your poor heart in shambles, good god. Blood rushed to your face—you actually made Optimus Prime smile.

 “Indeed.” Optimus sighs, but by the way he looks back at you, you can tell it's of content. What follows next is you awkwardly blinking at the bot like a fool and instead of a witty or flirtatious reply, you give silence.

 

_**Oh, I'm tired of dreaming of no one** _

_**I'm tired** _

 

 _Holy hell. I can’t compute how cute that was._ When Optimus speaks a wave of relief washes over you because you swore if you opened your mouth you’d confess to him on the spot.

 “Often on these restless nights I seek solace through your solar system, would you like to accompany me to stargaze?”

 “Only if you wish to have me.”

 Primus, your response caused his spark to leap. In all the quadrants of the universe, you can’t even begin to fathom how much you affected his spark. He was certain you did it on purpose, but then how could a human be that cruel? These emotions pestered him into nights of insomnia where he became just as restless as you.

 

_**I need somebody next to mine** _

_**I, I'm tired, yeah** _

 

Again, his sparked jumped when you walked into his open servo. You were light on your feet and delicate to the touch. Careful not to wake anyone else, he wandered to the rising ladders that lead to the top of the base. His servo coiled tighter around you as he climbed and you didn't hesitate to hold one of his fingers for balance.

  


**_'Cause I'm dyin' to give it to someone_ **

**_give it to someone_ **

 

You can't stop the stupid grin breaking across your face and you are grateful the Prime can't see it, otherwise, he would ask you, and of course, you would have to share.

 Once Optimus opened the hatch to the roof a cool breeze welcomes the two of you. The bot sets you in his shoulder as he parks himself on the cliff’s edge, pedes dangling off the rock.

 

**_Because I can't do it anymore._ **

 

Jasper in the daytime was a festering oven but at night, the night was the real treat that came out of the oven. No air or light pollution, no noisy city streets, and no one else except for you and Optimus Prime. With all that in mind, the universe had definitely laid out a spread of stars tonight. Everything was so clear, so mesmerizing. You sat literally starstruck with big eyes to capture it all.

 “I never realized how beautiful it was at night...” You don't turn to face Optimus but he sees the expression on your face. It is serene, cultivating almost. Your wonder is what he grew to fall in love with.

 “Yes, it is quite a sight to behold, isn't it?”

 “You got that right,” a gentle whisper escapes your lips, and the wind carries it lightly.

 You decide to lean on Optimus, letting go of all problems from earlier, all the conflict with your crush and just elope this blissful night. Warm sensations blossomed in your chest and you don't know it, but Optimus got the same feeling in his own chest plate as he gazed upon you against the night sky. Being with Optimus, and he to you, made everything right with the world; the two of you felt whole together. Primus, how you and he yearned the night would never end so that you both could stay in the moment forever.

Despite promising him you would continue to stargaze until dawn, you can’t remember when you started drift off. You also can't recall how it happened, but Optimus transformed into his alt mode and with you in him. At some point though, you shifted awake to find the Prime had changed, and you laying on his reclined leather passenger seat. Nevertheless, the low hum of Optimus’s engine drew you ever closer to sleep, as it rolled in your chest and synchronized with your heart.

Perhaps one day the Prime will confront his feelings, and maybe you will confess yours, but for now, the two of you tenderly embracing in tranquility is enough to settle your heart and his spark.


End file.
